Out of Body Experience
by llamaglamasama
Summary: When Kaitou Kid dies during a heist, he winds up wandering the world as a ghost. When he finds out someone close to him actually knows about ghosts, he works with them to solve his own murder and take down the Black Organization.
1. Chapter 1

Out of Body Experience

Well this…wasn't quite what he'd expected. Well, he hadn't really been sure _what_ to expect, but…this wasn't it.

He felt like he was floating…falling, almost, but never reaching the ground. It was a bizarre feeling. His gut was twisting every which way, but…why? What had gone wrong?

He'd been at a heist, everything going according to plan. Nothing was strange, nothing unusual. So why? What had gone wrong?

He'd flown off the rooftop, gem clasped in his hand, laughing at the two detectives standing below. Tantei-san and Tantei-kun had worked together, attempting to trap him, but, as always, they were unsuccessful. Actually, it almost seemed Hakuba had held Tantei-kun _back_. Usually, Tantei-kun would foil him enough to recover the jewel, but not tonight. Not that he was complaining.

Suddenly, he'd felt pain in his chest, something warm spilling over his torso. He saw the detectives in his peripheral vision and they looked horrified. Next, he just…fell, lifeless, the gem dropping from his slack hands.

Kaito sighed. Being dead kinda sucked. But it was weird. Shouldn't he have gone somewhere or something? Instead he was trapped, pinned to his body. He hated feeling closed in.

Screams, shouts, yells, sobs…they were deafening. And Aoko – oh gods, _Aoko_ – he was hurting her. He'd never meant to hurt her.

His eyes drifted to the shadowed figure, hiding on the outskirts of the crowd. Aoko wasn't the only one he'd hurt…

Kaito attempted to rise, to go to him, but…he was stuck, connected to his body. 'Dammit, let me go!' He screamed to himself. 'Isn't it bad enough that I had to die!?'

He sank onto the ground, sitting in his own blood. "Please…let me go to him." He whispered. Something wet traveled down his cheek, but it wasn't tears. He reached up and brought back blood. How ironic. He's finally ably to weep and they were tears of blood.

The swarm of cops around him began to disperse. He could see Nakamori-keibu yelling something incoherent. Next to him, Aoko leaned against Hakuba, tears pouring down her face.

A plump man in orange arrived and approached Kid's body. Kaito recognized him as Megure-keibu from division one and sighed. This wouldn't be pretty. He wondered if his murder would ever be solved. It was probably Snake and his lot, but the crows were known for their discretion…or NOT known, I guess.

Tantei-kun could probably figure it out, but that would only put him in danger. Still…he didn't was to die a nameless death. That wasn't fair! At least in death, he should receive a _little_ relief.

Making up his mind, he attempted to get up once more. He made it to his knees before toppling over onto the bloodied corpse. He scrambled away, vaguely disgusted when his arm went through Kid's body.

"Oh…holy crap." He muttered. He placed a land on Kid's leg and watched as it went straight to the ground. "Freaky. So…if I go through bodies, how come I don't go through the ground?" He wondered.

Calming himself, he looked around again, searching for Tantei-kun. 'He's not there.' Panicky thoughts roved his mind until a pressure fell on his shoulders. He jumped, wildly spinning around. "I thought everything went through me!" He yelped, staring at the small boy whose hand was resting on Kaito's shoulder.

He smiled wryly, but said nothing. Kaito looked around and noticed Hakuba looking at Conan oddly. He could see the blonde's mouth moving. But he couldn't hear anything. Why? Why couldn't he hear anyone? He could hear noise, but nothing registered in his brain.

"I'm fine, Hakuba-niichan." Conan's voice said sadly. "I just thought I saw something." Conan walked off, towards Hakuba and spoke again, but Kaito couldn't hear anything anymore. Did that mean he could only hear someone if they were touching him? But what if they went through him?

Conan turned to him and smiled, beckoning discreetly. Kaito followed, noting with a start that he no longer seemed connected to Kid's body. Conan led down multiple streets, not coming to a stop until he stood outside 2-22 Beika Cho. He casually walked inside, calling out to the owner that he was home.

"Shinichi-kun? I–oh, you've brought a friend. I'm Agasa Hiroshi. Pleasure to meet you, Kaitou Kid." Kaito's eyes bugged out as the old man politely bowed to him, grasping his hand. Wasn't he supposed to be a ghost? Speaking of which, how had Conan been able to see him? And touch him? He went through everything else…and yet he somehow stayed rooted to the floor. He was never going to understand that one.

"My family's been able to see ghosts for ages. Why do you think we deal with murders? The spirits need released, usually through the solving of their death." Tantei-kun explained calmly. "Hakase's sort of our…retainer, I guess." Seeing Kaito's blank look, he added, "You can think of us as…cleansers. We free ghosts from their hold to the Earth and let them pass on."

"Wait…does that mean you can use the _victim_ to solve their own murder?" He asked, skeptically.

"Not really." Conan said. "Most ghosts are pretty out of it, so they aren't much help. Besides, if you're going to condemn someone, you need evidence that will hold up in court."

"Right…so…I'm dead, you've apparently just released me from my body…what now?"

"You can move from your body, but you're not yet free of it. Actually, its more like the connection was transferred to me, rather than actually released. Your death still needs solved."

"Heh, good luck. These guys don't like to get caught." Kaito laughed sardonically. "You're an excellent detective, Tantei-kun, but if you have to expose my murder to the world, you'll only end up murdered yourself."

"So you _are_ being gunned for by trench coats in black." Conan nodded. "Thought so. But you're right, they won't be easily exposed. That means…well, you'll prolly be stuck here until they are." Tantei-kun smirked. Kaito looked affronted.

"You mean I'll be stuck to _you_ until you take 'em out!?"

"Yup." Conan grinned innocently up at him. Kaito groaned.

--

**This is a chapter from my Through the Looking Glass story. I've decided to expand it into a longer fic. Hope you like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

Out of Body Experience Part 2

Kaito sighed wearily. Why was it that a ghost could get tired? Or was it because they weren't eternally asleep yet? Whatever…he really didn't get the whole being dead thing.

At the moment, he was hovering over the Mouri agency, admiring the night sky. Tantei-kun lay inside, asleep, as was most of the rest of the world. But not him…not anymore, anyway. It had been a long day, what with him dying and everything…and then to find out that Tantei-kun is actually some sort of ghost catcher…yep, his day had been pretty crazy. He sighed again, thinking back on his conversation with the little ghost cleanser.

"_So…I can go through everything – except the floor for some reason – but I can only hear people if they're touching me? Doesn't that mean I can only hear people like you?" Kaito asked. It was worrisome, the idea of not being able to hear anyone else. He enjoyed Tantei-kun's company and he was glad that it was him who could see Kid and not someone else, but…only hearing people who could touch him – which, as far as he knew, consisted only of the Kudo family and Agasa-hakase – it would be so…lonely._

"_Not…exactly." Conan said slowly, lounging against Agasa's living room couch. Haibara was in the lab, so he didn't have to worry about her finding out. People who could see ghosts were generally not viewed as healthy in modern society. "You can make yourself solid, but it takes a great deal of concentration. Most ghosts don't bother because they pass on pretty quickly and normal humans still can't see them. All it basically does is make so that you can run into walls, but it does give a semblance of normalcy even after death. However, it _is_ possible for you to hear people without touching them. They need to have possession of something you had on you when you died."_

"_Wouldn't it go through them?"_

"_Nope. When a human touches something a ghost has, it becomes like any other object in this world, only it allows you to hear them. See, objects can't die because their not living, so they can't become ghostly. They sort of are because, at the moment, they are in the possession of a ghost, but as soon as they move to someone else's hand, they become like that person."_

"_Does it apply in reverse? Can I touch things and turn them…ghostly?"_

"_No. Even if you're solidified and don't go through them, you only get what you had on you when you died. Well, sort of."_

"_Sort of?"_

_Conan sighed. "People in my family…anyone who has our 'power', we can stretch the rules a little. If we're holding an object, then you can touch it, but you still can't touch it under your own power." He explained._

"_Oh." Kaito sighed. His head was spinning. When he was alive, he'd believed in the supernatural, sure, but…rules? If you were dead, why did you need rules? "Um…can anyone else see me? Anyone at all?"_

"_Not unless they have some sort of power. They can't even hear you."_

Kaito – or was he Kid? He was dressed in the white suit, but…he felt more like the high school magician than the mysterious thief – looked up at the moon. The beautiful full moon…and its rays went right through him. It was really rather depressing. Sure, he knew he'd die some day, but he didn't think it would be like this. He supposed he was lucky, though. He could communicate with Tantei-kun, at least.

"Are you okay?" A voice asked, a small hand landing on his shoulder.

'Speak of the devil.' Kaito thought. "Yeah, I guess. It's just…odd."

"Yeah, people usually are surprised at what death is like. The tales humans tell are completely different from reality."

"Heh, true." He tucked his hands into his pockets, surprised when something small and cool touched his right hand. He pulled it out and studied the object. It was a ring, sterling silver it looked like, and adorned with a small ensemble of jewels. Small ones, not worth very much, but pretty, nonetheless. The center jewel was a diamond in the shape of a rose. 'Ah, that's right. Mom gave it to me before I left for the heist. Mom…'

"Kuroba?" Conan tiled his head to the side, gazing at the ring in the thief's hand. Kaito looked up at him, smiling softly and passed it to him.

"If you have something that was in my possession when I died then I won't have to be touching you to hear you, right?" Conan nodded and inspected the ring, clearly surprised. "I didn't steal it." Kaito chuckled. "It was my Dad's." He said quietly.

Conan's surprised look turned to one of bewilderment and understanding. "This is important to you, right? Why give it to me? I'm sure you were carrying other items on you."

Kaito shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Besides, the real ring will still be on my body, right? Isn't that just a copy of sorts?"

"No. Well, yes, but…its just as real as the original. It's not a fake or a replica, but at the same time, it is."

Kaito waved his hand. "Whatever. All this ghost stuff is just way too confusing for me. Anyway, shouldn't you be getting some sleep?"

"Insomnia," Shinichi shrugged, uncaring. "But we need to talk." He waited until the thief was attentively looking at him before starting. "You had a reason for stealing, I presume? And whatever that reason was, you were willing to die for it so I'm guessing its important. The thing is, you can't touch jewels anymore, or appear as the Kid, for obvious reasons."

"Yeah, doesn't do much good to give a show if no one can see you." Kaito mumbled.

"Exactly. So…what I'm proposing is that you carry on your mission through me." Kid gaped at him. "I'm not asking you to tell me anything, except maybe how to find what you're looking for, but…well, since _they_ killed you while you were looking for it, that means that if we get it, its leverage against _them_."

"I…well, yes, that's true, but…Kudo, you could easily get yourself killed looking for it. Not to mention, you'd be _breaking the law_."

The miniature detective gave him a flat look. "My _existence_ is breaking the law, Kid. Edogawa Conan is a fake identity. If people found out, I could be charged for fraud, forgery, and multiple other things. Theft wouldn't really make much of a difference. Besides, I'm not planning on getting caught. As much fun as you may get out of being Kid, Kid is gone and if another thief came out mimicking his style, it would definitely raise some eyebrows. No, I'd be doing low-key operations: sneaking in, disabling security, that sort of thing. And, given my size, it should be to hard to sneak in."

Kaito blinked. Was this seriously Tantei-kun? _Tantei-kun_ the extreme believer in justice…who was currently explaining how he would break the law. This was just too weird. "Umm…Tantei-kun? Can ghosts faint? Cuz if not, I think I might be the first."

Conan snorted. "Whatever. If you don't want to take me up on my offer, you don't have to. Its simply a suggestion." They sat on the roof in silence for a moment until the sun started peeking over the horizon. "Hakuba's going to be investigating your death. Since I witnessed it, I'll be able to help."

Kaito blinked. While that was all well and good, it wasn't like he particularly cared. "So?"

"So, we'll be going to the morgue this morning. Would you like to stay outside for that? We'll be seeing your body, after all."

"Um…I'll let you know."

Conan nodded. "Nakamori-keibu should've already ID-ed the body so there won't be much we can find there, but…"

"Yeah. Hey, are you sure they'll just let a little kid into the morgue? A murder investigation is one thing, they can't really keep you out, but a morgue…"

"I'll manage. Though you are right, I probably won't be able to examine the body, but that's hardly necessary at this point anyway. Anything I don't remember from last night I can refer to you for."

Kaito smiled humorlessly. "You know…I get that you're used to seeing dead bodies and, given the fact that you can see their ghosts, it may not seem as bad, but…you really don't see them as anything more than evidence, do you?"

Conan gave a bitter laugh. "If I thought of every body I saw as a person, do you think I'd still be sane by now. Although, admittedly, I'm not completely sane even then, but…" He trailed off into silence. "Well, I'd better go down before Ran wakes up." Kaito nodded and the young detective vanished from the roof.

--

Conan wandered into the kitchen when he heard Ran moving around in the next room. "Oh! Conan-kun," She looked at him in surprise. "You're up early."

"I couldn't sleep." He said quietly.

Ran put her cooking supplies down and knelt down by her young charge. "I'm sorry, Conan-kun. Are you okay? I didn't – I should've been more considerate. How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine, Ran-neechan." He smiled innocently up at her. "What's for breakfast?" Ran launched into an one-sided conversation. In the mean time, Conan glanced out the window to see Kid balancing on top of a lamp post. Poor guy… ghosts didn't usually need to stick around that long. They didn't have to settle anything on Earth like most beliefs said they did, they just needed their death solved. The only ghosts there were were murder victims; at least, those were the only ones he came across. He didn't know everything about ghosts, just the stuff that applied to his area of expertise. But Kid…he'd be stuck on Earth for a while. He wouldn't be able to move on until he _knew _his murderer had been brought to justice. But when would that happen? It could be years…

"Ran-neechan? I wanna go with Hakuba-niichan. We're gonna investigate about Kid. Can I?" He looked up at her with big, pleading eyes.

"Yes, alright, Conan-kun. But be careful, okay? And don't get in Hakuba-san's way."

"Hai!" He grinned. He sat down and obediently ate his breakfast, keeping one eye on Kid. When breakfast was done, he called Hakuba and made sure the detective could meet them. Then, bidding goodbye to Ran, he waited for Kid to join him in front of the agency before heading off.

"We're meeting Hakuba at the park. From there, we're headed to the morgue."

"'kay. He'll be right on time, you know." Kid said quietly. "He's a total time freak. Even carries a pocket watch, accurate to the very second."

"I know. I've met him a few times on cases. He had that hawk with him."

Kaito smiled. "Yeah, he named it Watson. Interesting name, seeing as its female."

Conan looked at him in surprise. "Why not call him Irene? She was the only woman Sherlock Holmes ever loved."

Kaito shrugged. "Why don't you ask him? After all, you're both Holmes nuts."

"Of course. Holmes is brilliant, he – "

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Lupin's better, anyway." Kid smirked at the glare the Chibi-Holmes sent him. "There he is." He pointed towards the blonde. Conan nodded, glare evaporating in an instant.

"Hakuba-niichan!" He called. Hakuba turned, face solemn and waved to the boy.

"Ohayo, Conan-kun," He said softly. His face was haggard and there were dark bags under his eyes. Kaito winced. That was his fault, wasn't it? Hakuba was like this because of him, because he died.

"Are we going, Hakuba-niichan?"

Hakuba shook his head. "No, change of plans, Conan-kun. Megure-keibu doesn't want us going to the morgue. Instead, we're to meet him at the station so we can have a look at Kid's…Kuroba's personal effects. Nakamori-keibu will meet us there."

Conan followed Hakuba as they started off for the station. "What about Nakamori-neechan? I heard she was friend's with Kid's civilian persona."

"Yes, childhood friends and classmates. She's in shock, I'm afraid. Kuroba's mother is looking after her, accompanied by an old family friend."

"I see." Conan frowned, glancing at Kid. He looked so depressed. Shinichi couldn't help but worry. Murder victims were usually easy to appease. He was a good detective, he could solve their murder on the spot and they would pass on, with the usual regrets. He supposed they forgot them in the otherworld – they allowed the ghosts to pass on, but they were still human; they had no idea what went on in the otherworld – but Kid…Kid couldn't have that luxury. He had to deal with all the reactions from those around him, his loved ones. And he couldn't even say goodbye properly! Conan sighed in sympathy.

The two detectives arrived at the police station and took in the definite downfall in atmosphere. "Look's like Kid's death has really affected a lot of people." Conan murmured quietly.

"He had a way of worming himself into your heart." Hakuba replied. Walking beside him, Kid frowned. What was Hakuba saying? All he could hear was Conan's responses and they weren't telling him anything. Dammit, if it was like this with only one other person, what would it be like when multiple other people were talking and he could only hear Tantei-kun?

They saw Nakamori Ginzo waiting outside Megure's office, his face grim and unhappy. He noticed them and nodded in greeting. "Megure-keibu had to step out for a moment." He said, opening the door and showing them in. "He should be back momentarily." Even as he said this, the portly inspector approached them and joined them in his office.

"Sorry for the wait." He said. "Kid's personal effects were…difficult to obtain. He must've had at least six dozen compartments hidden on his person. Even now, we're not sure that we have everything. But, of what we do have…" He held up a manila envelope and emptied it on the table. "You're welcome to have a look at these, but until Kuroba-san comes in to sign for them, they need to stay here."

"Understood." Nakamori said. He picked up the objects one by one, inspecting flash bombs and smoke bombs, mechanical switches and wired mechanisms, decks of cards and juggling balls, all sorts of items that would belong to a magician thief.

Meanwhile, Hakuba looked over the more personal object from Kuroba's pockets. There was a silk rose as well as a real one, both red, and two or three white roses. There were also small trinkets that meant nothing to Hakuba but he supposed someone closer to Kuroba might understand them.

Conan, on the other hand, touched nothing but simply viewed the objects from his perch on top of several dictionaries. "Where's the jewel?" He asked. The others in the room looked up, surprised, until they surveyed the ensemble and noticed that it wasn't there.

Kid blinked. "That's right. I…dropped it, I think. When I got shot, I remember having it in my hand, but when I came to on the ground, it was gone." Conan nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Was it found around the body? I didn't see anything there…"

"No," Megure shook his head, "There was nothing even remotely strange found around the body. Certainly not a gem."

Hakuba narrowed his eyes. "I think I remember seeing it fall from his hands after he was shot. But…it should have appeared around where we found him then, shouldn't it?"

"Yes, it should." Nakamori growled. "Its possible whoever shot him stole the jewel before we got there."

"They must've known just where he would fall, then." Conan piped up. "Cuz we got to the scene pretty quickly. Do you think they had accomplices hanging around on the ground. The one who shot him had to have had a higher vantage point and would've arrived at the scene around the same time as we did, but there was no one like that, so…"

"Yes, they must've had at least one accomplice." The law-upholders plunged into silence, all deep in thought.

"One thing wrong with that, Tantei-kun." Kid said slowly. "There _could've_ been someone who arrived and left the scene, even with the police there. That someone could've even been a police officer themselves."

Conan nodded, "Um, I'm gonna wait outside." He said in a childish voice. His companions nodded, still deep in contemplation. Conan ducked outside the room, walking towards the coffee station. "I know that, Kid." He murmured, "But mentioning that would be a bad idea. They have no idea that there could be possible insiders and if one of them got wind that I knew, then they'd be after me in a heartbeat. No, for now, the police are going to have to look outside their own ranks."


End file.
